Elephants and NHS Pay Awards
Gordon Brown's recent announcement that the Labour government will stage the 2.5% pay increase for nurses has provoked fury among the trade unions - with angry protests around the country and - for the first time in a generation - talk of national industrial action in the NHS.
Now, nurses and the unions have every right to be angry - because it's a downright lie to say that the government is implementing, in full, the recommendations of the Nurses Pay Review Body (PRB) which Gordon Brown claims - whereas, in reality, he is deliberately reducing the value of the award to only 1.9% by implementing the PRB recommendation in two stages.
So, in real terms, nurses are taking a significant pay cut over the next twelve months - which is a real slap in the face for the profession - with inflation running at between 3.1% and 4.2% depending on which measure of inflation is used.
But, the elephant in the room is that while the unions work themselves up into a lather over 0.6% - they have for years turned a blind eye to a much bigger scandal - the fact that a fully qualified nurse is paid so much less than an NHS tradesman or technician!
The pay of a newly qualified staff nurse or midwife will rise to £19,645 in November 2007 - but this is still far short of the £25,000 earned by male NHS tradesmen and technicians despite the fact that nurses are better qualified and far greater responsibilities.
The pay gap between NHS nurses and tradesmen has been around for a generation - yet the unions have been as quiet as church mice all this time - keeping their members in the dark, giving the employers an easy ride and certainly not rocking any boats with Gordon Brown and the Labour government.
So, it's best to take all the talk of industrial action with a great big pinch of salt - the truth is that the unions have failed to act over equal pay and to pursue claims worth thousands of pounds to their members in terms of higher pay and back pay.
How likely is it then, that union bosses will back a campaign of widespread industrial action - particularly when - in a few months time - they will be urging trade union members to support none other than Gordon Brown as the new leader of the Labour Party?
You can bet your house on the fact that union bosses will not make a serious stand against their friend, the Iron Chancellor, and bookies favourite to be the next Prime Minister.
Now, nurses and the unions have every right to be angry - because it's a downright lie to say that the government is implementing, in full, the recommendations of the Nurses Pay Review Body (PRB) which Gordon Brown claims - whereas, in reality, he is deliberately reducing the value of the award to only 1.9% by implementing the PRB recommendation in two stages.
So, in real terms, nurses are taking a significant pay cut over the next twelve months - which is a real slap in the face for the profession - with inflation running at between 3.1% and 4.2% depending on which measure of inflation is used.
But, the elephant in the room is that while the unions work themselves up into a lather over 0.6% - they have for years turned a blind eye to a much bigger scandal - the fact that a fully qualified nurse is paid so much less than an NHS tradesman or technician!
The pay of a newly qualified staff nurse or midwife will rise to £19,645 in November 2007 - but this is still far short of the £25,000 earned by male NHS tradesmen and technicians despite the fact that nurses are better qualified and far greater responsibilities.
The pay gap between NHS nurses and tradesmen has been around for a generation - yet the unions have been as quiet as church mice all this time - keeping their members in the dark, giving the employers an easy ride and certainly not rocking any boats with Gordon Brown and the Labour government.
So, it's best to take all the talk of industrial action with a great big pinch of salt - the truth is that the unions have failed to act over equal pay and to pursue claims worth thousands of pounds to their members in terms of higher pay and back pay.
How likely is it then, that union bosses will back a campaign of widespread industrial action - particularly when - in a few months time - they will be urging trade union members to support none other than Gordon Brown as the new leader of the Labour Party?
You can bet your house on the fact that union bosses will not make a serious stand against their friend, the Iron Chancellor, and bookies favourite to be the next Prime Minister.
